Before Sunset and Other Almosts
by Mockingdandelion
Summary: I suppose I could sent a note. But what would I put on it? "Hey Gale, we haven't really talked for the past 3 weeks but I jut wanted to let you know that I'm pregnant with your child. Oh, but we have to pretend Peeta is the father! Containing the spark and all. Just thought I'd let you know. Love, Katniss." For some reason I don't think that would go over very well. AU.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters!_

The word is staring back at me mockingly: Positive.

I sigh in frustration and toss the test on the little mountain of pregnancy tests I've created.

I feel like the pregnancy tests are conspiring against me. For they all claim the same thing: that there's a fetus growing inside of me. I stare at the tests angrily and dramatically snatch the metal box from the marble counter.

I carefully study the cover. Hoping that maybe it will say "These tests are 100% foolproof. Unless your name is Katniss Everdeen. In that case, you'll have to use reverse psychology when analysing the results" or something else along those lines.

Unfortunately only part of that statement is actually displayed on the sleek, Capitol designed box. "These tests are 100% foolproof". Nothing about using reverse psychology if you're Katniss Everdeen.

Bummer.

I march over to the mountain of pregnancy tests and angrily snatch a handful of tests. I go over them carefully. Every single pregnancy test I check has the same word on it, in big, blue letters:

Positive.

I refuse to think about what would happen if I'm actually pregnant. But considering that I plan to waste the rest of my life away in this bathroom, I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway.

I take in the bathroom carefully. The walls are painted white, contrasting sharply with the black marble countertop and the black engravings on the cabinets and the toilet seat - yes, the toilet seat has engraving on it. The edges of the bathtub and the countertop look sharp and the outlets definitely aren't child-proof.

I quickly come to the unsurprising conclusion that the bathroom is not the ideal environment to raise a child in. But it'll have to do. Raising my still unborn child in a bathroom heavily outweighs leaving the bathroom and facing the consequences of my getting pregnant. I've always been the hermit type.

Now lets pray my child has no objections to being bathroom-schooled.

And that's when it sinks in.

I am pregnant

I'M GOING TO HAVE A BABY

How am I supposed to raise a child when I have trouble remembering to brush my teeth twice a day?

I let myself fall back into the bathtub and force myself to breathe. I try telling myself that I've been taking care of Prim and my mother half my life, so honestly, how bad could having another mouth to feed really be? However that's such a flat out lie that not even I can convince myself to believe it.

I groan, not even Cinnas pretty dresses were going to be able to get me out of this one.

I should have known that with my luck it would only take one time. One spur of the moment decision. One moment of stupid impulsiveness.

The odds really haven't been in my favor lately.

I wonder what to do next. I suppose I could send a note. But what would I put on it? "Hey Gale, I know we haven't really talked for the past 3 weeks but I just want to let you know that I'm pregnant with your child. Oh, but we have to pretend Peeta is the father! Just thought I'd let you know. Love, Katniss." For some reason I don't think that would go over very well.

Now you're probably wondering that if I haven't really talked to Gale in 3 weeks, how I find myself pregnant with his child?

I blame Haymitch. Haymitch and his darned alcohol.

Haymitch, in one of his drunken guilt-trips, had decided to organise a small get together at his place. And when he'd shown up at my doorstep, babbling about "spending quality-time" and "really needing me right now" I'd grudgingly agreed to come to his little gathering.

Apparently Haymitch's idea of a small get together involved a hundred or so people and liquor, a lot of liquor.

Which was why 4 hours later I'd been sitting in a corner hoping no one would notice me. I'd talked to more people than I'd wanted to, downed more drinks than I could count, felt tipsier than I'd ever felt and was more than ready to get out of there already.

As I'd felt a hand on my shoulder I'd quickly prepared to make up some excuse about why I abolutely could not stay and make small talk but halted when I looked up and saw Gale's smiling face.

He'd been wearing his usual hunting clothes. It was obvious that he either hadn't wanted to go to the party and that he'd be damned if he dressed up for it, or that Haymitch had pulled the it's-just-a-small-gathering card on him as well.

"Hey Catnip." He'd said, grinning at me and plopping down on the chair next to me. The fact that he was not sulking in a corner meant that he'd probably had a bit too much to drink as well.

"elloooo Gale." I'd slurred, grinning back at him.

We'd spent some minutes in a comfortable silence and I would have been perfectly content spending the remainder of the evening that way. But Gale had abruptly jumped up, almost knocking over his chair, and smiled at me mischievously.

"Let's get out of here." he'd stated bluntly, grabbing my hand and forcing me to stand up without waiting for my answer.

Before I knew it we were sitting in my old house in the Seam. Gale had started spinning his usual talk; injustice, the Capitol, revenge. I'd nodded numbly, whereas the alcohol brought out Gale's inner rebel even more all it did to me was induce in me in some sort of dreamy haze.

He'd turned his head so that he was facing me and ranted on "It's not fair Katniss. Why do they have the power to dictate our lives? To tell us who to love? I wish there was something I could do to show them that they don't control us. That no matter what they do, they can't change who we are. I-" he'd hesitated, I still remember the pain in his storming grey eyes "I just wish they didn't have the power to influence every single aspect of our life! Our jobs, whether or not we have food - who we grow old with"

Then he'd taken my face in his hands and pressed his lips against mine.

I'd been shocked, frozen and unable to move. His lips had been so soft and warm against mine. I'd instinctively started kissing him back. As soon as he got a response he'd turned more and wrapped his arms tightly around me - never halting what could only be described as his 'gentle assault' on my lips. Said 'gentle assault' had sent shivers racing down my spine.

I hadn't been able to stop myself from wondering if this was what would have happened if it weren't for the Capitol. Whether or not I would have ended up with Gale. And living the life the Capitol had taken away from me felt like my own personal form of revenge. So my intoxicated brain had decided that sleeping with Gale was an excellent idea.

And I had.

And now I was pregnant.

After that things had been pretty weird between us. We'd both been content with not speaking until we'd dealt with what had happened in our separate ways.

Although I suppose I should talk to him to tell him that I'm pregnant now.

With that thought several problems made itself known. I couldn't tell anyone Gale was the father. I doubt me announcing that I'm pregnant with Gale's love child is going to convince anyone that I am, in fact, in love with Peeta.

On top of that, everyone still thinks Gale is my cousin. Now I don't know what is acceptable in the Capitol and what is not. But I'm willing to bet that incest is on the list of unacceptable things.

So, the right thing to do in this situation would probably be to tell my mother first. However I see a couple of problems with that. With everyone thinking that I'm in love with Peeta and all, she'll probably assume he's the father. And I am not prepared to make Peeta suffer my mother's' wrath, frankly I'm not even 100% positive he'll survive it.

Secondly the Capitol wouldn't be able to keep a story as big as the doomed couple having a baby quiet. Gale won't be able to live with the thought that I'm pregnant with Peeta's child. Which would result in Gale and Haymitch finding each other and drinking themselves to death.

Which would in turn result in Prim and I being left to our own devices. My pregnant self won't be able to be much help either so I doubt Prim would come out of this situation unscatched.

Lady will undoubtedly die too.

And Buttercup will be the lone survivor of this tragedy, spending the remainder of his 9 lives telling his tales of woe to his fellow cats.

Taking all this into consideration, becoming a bathroom-hermit would truly be the responsible thing to do.

My carefully laid out plans of becoming a hermit are interrupted by Madge entering the bathroom - without knocking. I knew it was a bad idea to give her the keys to the house.

She was supposed to use them for emergencies only. I should have realised that a lot more things classify as an emergency for her than for me.

It's obvious she doesn't notice my distraught look, for as soon as she's closed the door behind her she starts talking:"Katniss! Remember I told you about the guy that I've liked for a long time?" She says it in a hushed voice. She's out of breath, too. I figure she's been running. I notice her cheeks are red. I'm not sure if it's because she's blushing or if it's because she's been running though.

I do remember the guy she's liked for a long time. Except she always refused to tell me who it was, she told me that all I needed to know was that they couldn't ever be together because he already liked someone else. And, with my complete lack of interest in romance, I had never really pressed the matter.

She doesn't wait for my answer and continues:''Well, I - and promise you won't freak out, I don't think he wants me telling you just yet but I think you deserve to know because... please just promise you won't freak out?-'' she glances at me sideways and at my nod continues carefully:"It's Gale. It's not official yet, but we're going out and if you don't want us to we won't! I'm sorry we didn't tell-" She abruptly stops talking when she spots the pile of pregnancy tests lying next to me.

I really should have burned those when I had the chance. I knew they were the devil's spawn from the beginning.

She rushes over to the pile and grabs a handful of tests, studying each of them closely. I look at her expectantly, hoping that she'll tell me that they're fake Aprils Fools tests or something. That this was all just the Capitol playing some sort of sick joke on me.

No such luck.

''Katniss, you're not... you're not pregnant, are you?'' she whispers softly.

I see point in denying my pregnancy. She's read if for herself after all, in big, blue letters: positive.

So I nod my head, not trusting myself to speak.

Madge gives her head a little shake and sits down next to me ''O-Okay.'' she says carefully.

''So...'' she starts before pausing to consider what to say next ''who's the father?''

I'm about to tell her the truth, that it's Gale. But that's when it sinks in; Madge was dating Gale. Gale was dating Madge. They were a couple. I force myself not to freak out. There was a time and a place for that. I had the rest of my life as a hermit to freak out over such petty things after all.

Madge notices my hesitation and asks quietly:"Do you know who the father is?"

Before I have the time to realise what I'm saying I blurt out:''Peeta. Peeta's the father.''

I regret saying it as soon as the words have left my mouth. I briefly wonder if impulsiveness is a side-effect of being pregnant. That would explain a lot. I make a mental note to myself to look that up later.

Then, I jump up, sprint over to the toilet and vomit.

I guess it's because I'm pregnant.

But it may also be because Gale is the father.

Or because I have just told Madge that Peeta is the father.

Meaning I'll have to tell Peeta I'm pregnant with his child.

Even though I've never slept with him.

And that I'll have to tell Gale I'm knocked up. And that Peeta's the father.

Even though Gale is actually the father.

Or a combination of all the facts mentioned above.


	2. Chapter 2

_I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters_

* * *

I vaguely register Madge leaving and heave a sigh of relief.

Before abruptly leaning over the toilet again as another wave of vomit forces its way out through my mouth. I stand up shakily, my eyes are burning and my mouth tastes like rotten eggs. I stumble over to the sink to rinse my mouth when I detect Madge's presence again.

You'd assume that after finding out that I'm pregnant, and after announcing that she's dating the father of my child - she doesn't know he is the father, but that's really not the point - Madge would give me some privacy.

But no.

Because Madge is just not like that.

So instead of letting me become a bathroom hermit in peace she rushes over to me and hands me a wet, warm towel:''Here, to clean your face.'' Madge says softly.

She sits down on the edge of the bath and motions for me to sit down as well. I sit down obediently and wipe my face clean with the towel.

I glance sideways and the look on Madge's face makes realise I'm in for a lecture. I cringe and decide to change the subject in the only way I can think of:''So, you and Gale...?'' I start.

I do it as subtle as I can; I hope I sound interested, but not too interested. I mean how are you supposed to inquire about your only female friend dating your only male friend without giving away that you're pregnant, and that you lied about the identity of the father? Trust me on this one, it's not easy.

Considering the amount of acting skills that are required to pull off the above mentioned act successfully, Madge doesn't fall for it.

''Katniss that's not important right now. You're pregnant.'' She snaps, emphasising the last word.

She stands up and starts pacing around the small bathroom. "'Do you even know what this means? How is Gale going to react? I know he said he's over you but I doubt he's prepared for all of this" she says disapprovingly, whilst waving her arms around for dramatic effect " You're pregnant for crying out loud! Pregnant! Katniss how could you be so stupid?

There's so much we need to do. I suppose that if you went to the Capitol you'd get the best food and treatment but I don't think you want to do that... no, I wouldn't want that either. Oh hold on, you have your mother, what did she say- Katniss what in the world are you doing?"

Somewhere between 'You're pregnant' and 'You could go to the Capitol' I start grinning. I honestly don't know why. I guess it's because because Madge was usually so down-to-earth, and now she was suddenly blabbering on and on about me being pregnant whilst pacing back and forth in the 3 by 3 bathroom.

I suppose my pregnant self finds that to be rather amusing. By the time she gets to the "You have your mother" part, I'm cracking up.

''Katniss!'' Madge yells. She sounds hurt that I laughed at her speech. I have the dignity to look ashamed, and force myself to stop laughing. Which, trust me, isn't that easy.

''I'm sorry.'' I mutter ''You're right.'' I add, maybe that will deflate her anger.

She nods, sighs and sits back down next to me on the edge of the bath ''Well, I understand.'' She says softly.

Im confused. Why would she understand me finding her little rant funny? It wasn't even funny, I don't even know why I thought it was funny.

''With the hormones.'' She elaborates upon seeing my confused expression.

I make a mental note to myself that I'll be able to blame everything I do on my hormones from now on. Madge really seemed to know quite a lot about this stuff though. I'm almost proud of myself for confiding in her. Even though technically I didn't confide in her, she found out because of those cursed pregnancy tests.

''So what did your mother say?'' Madge continues.

I shrug uncomfortably and stupidly answer: ''She… she said – Well, I don't know.''

Madge looks confused ''You don't know..'' she repeats slowly.

Yes I suppose that wasn't a very good answer. Considering my mother would probably have tried to kill me the minute I told her. Someone trying to kill you is not really something you forget easily.

Realization dawns over Madge's face and her eyes widen in disbelief: "You haven't told her! You haven't told her that you're pregnant.'' She concludes, whispering the last word.

''No.'' I say quickly - I really need to look up if impulsiveness is a side effect of being pregnant.

''Why?'' Madge asks, clearly confused ''Your mother is lovely.''

I decide against telling her that she wasn't so lovely when all she did all day was cry and let her children starve. I do seriously contemplate telling her my entire 'If I tell my mother that will set off the apocalypse theory.' But I'm pretty sure that she won't believe me and say that I'm just exaggerating because I'm 'hormonal'.

Now that's the downside. You're able to blame everything you do on your hormones. But others can blame everything you do on your hormones as well, so basically you'll be ignored by everyone.

When I don't answer she sighs and looks at her watch in frustration . ''I have to run. My father will kill me if I miss this dinner, but-'' she says, pointing an accusing finger at me ''You have to tell your mother.''

I nod obediently even though I don't plan on telling my mother any time soon. I don't make a vocal promise though, because people have told me I'm a terrible liar. Which is, for the record, not something I agree with.

Madge stands up and starts walking towards the doorway, then she halts, turns halfway and states:"You should tell Peeta, too."

With that said she starts walking again, only to turn around and send me a sharp 'I'll-be-watching-you' look. I hear her walk down the stairs and close the front door.

After pondering the events of that day I come to the conclusion that I'm in trouble. Big trouble. And that I could really use some Hot Chocolate.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Thank you for all the reviews, they're lovely and mean a lot!

* * *

4 hours and 23 minutes later I leave the bathroom.

I know, I know. It's probably a sign that I am truly going insane. Because let's face it, what sane pregnant woman would leave the bathroom - her safe haven - in such a time of madness?

But I got hungry and was craving that cup of hot chocolate. And after fighting those urges for a while I gave in and exchanged my sanity for some food. Alas, once again the power of food has been proven.

As soon as I'm downstairs I regret my decision. I'm met by my mother who's looking at me intently: "Hello Katniss."

I send her a weak smile in return. "Madge told me there's something you want to tell me" she inquires hesitantly.

I swallow, I know I'm a horrible liar and I know Madge knows I am too. "I was feeling sick but I'm feeling better now." I lie, not all that smoothly judging by my mother's expression.

She doesn't press the matter though which I'm grateful for. "Are you hungry?" She asks. When I nodd she lights up, happy that finally she's the one taking care of me instead of the other way around.

I sit down at the kitchen table uncomfortably. As my mother breaks an egg into the frying pan I ask her where Prim is. My mother replies without turning around:

"She went over to the Hawthornes to drop off some books. She should be back in a minute though."

We remain seated in silence as my mother continues to prepare my lunch. I'm extremely uncomfortable, I want to tell her that I'm pregnant but I'm scared. I'm scared of how she'll react. The memory of how she reacted when my father died still fresh in my mind.

Before long she puts the delicious smelling meal in front of me. She joins me at the table and sits down opposite of me, looking at me expectantly.

Although I know she's looking at me because she wants me to eat I can't help shake off the feeling that she knows and that she's waiting for me to confess.

I start gulping down my food in an attempt distract myself and get rid of the nagging feeling at the back of my mind. If Effie would have seen my table manners she probably would have needed a drink - or two.

Just as I'm about to devour my last piece of toast I hear the door swing open. Only moments later Prim appears in the doorway with a stack of books in her arms.

"Rory let me borrow them." she gushes excitedly as she notices that I'm looking at the books. "I spoke to Gale and it took me some serious convincing but-" she pauses, looks at me and and then says excitedly "he's coming over for dinner tonight!"

"What!" I blurt out before I can stop myself.

Prim turns to me, confusion written all over my face "Aren't you excited? You haven't seen each other in a while and I thought…" she says trailing off.

"I - No - Yes I am, I mean, I didn't expect to come over for dinner that's all" I ramble. This was not like me at all. I don't know what the hormones were doing to me but I did not like it one bit.

Prim is obviously not satisfied with my answer and sends me a look that screams 'we'll talk about this later' and turns her attention to put the pile of books on the table. Seeing this as an opportunity to avoid being interrogated by both Prim and my mother I turn to the latter and say:"I'm suddenly feeling a bit sick again, I'm going to lie down for a little bit."

Which is not even a lie, I'm feeling a bit nauseous again and am honestly expecting to throw up any second now. Whether it's going to be real vomit or word vomit I haven't decided yet though.

* * *

"Catnip!" Gale's voice echoes throughout the house.

I take a deep breath. I chant 'I'm not pregnant' under my breath, it really would be best for everyone involved to simply ignore the problem at hand untill it escalates and fades away (or comes off age).

"Catnip" Gale yells even louder.

Suddenly annoyance floods my system. He has no right to yell at me. He's the reason I'm in this situation in the first place.

I huff, I have every right to ignore him. A sudden urge to castrate Gale overtakes me. The world would be a better place without Gale's member going around impregnating girls.

I hear someone coming up the stairs. Gale, no doubt.

Without knocking Gale opens the bedroom door and storms in. His hair is messy, random strands are springing in all directions. His clothes are stained, too. But Gale doesn't seem to care, he only has eyes for me. I realize I haven't seen him in a while.

'A while' conveniently matching the number of days it's been since our little accident.

"Gale!" I hiss "I know your mother taught you to knock!"

Gale shrugs dismissively and sits down on my bed next to me. Clearly inviting himself to have a casual conversation with me. And suddenly I'm angry, first he gets me pregnant and then he acts like nothing has happened?

"Katniss." he starts hesitantly, glancing sideways.

Okay, so maybe he doesn't want to have a casual conversation. The fact that he called me Katniss instead of Catnip clearly indicates that.

All thoughts of acting like I'm not pregnant are out the window. Gale and his eyes are simply too infuriating. How am I supposed to lie to someone with eyes like that?

"Is dinner ready?" I inquire harshly.

"Yeah but that's not why-"

"Let's go then." I quickly cut him off. I notice he opens his mouth to retort so I quickly stand up and march downstairs, all the while glaring daggers at my surroundings in an attempt to destroy them with my eyes. I unfortunately fail to succeed.

As soon as I enter the living room I am greeted by the pleasant smell of lamb stew. I look at the table and notice that my mother has prepared the dish. I narrow my eyes in suspicion. Don't get me wrong, I love lamb stew, and my mother knows it too. Which is why whenever my mother has bad news she prepares the dish to 'soften the blow'.

I am still mad at her for turning my favorite dish into an omen of doom.

Gale follows me into the living room and to my dismay opts to sit in the chair opposite of mine. He shoots me a small smile. I know the smart thing to do would be to smile back at him apologetically. However I know that Gale would see right through it. So instead I focus on the magical meal in front of me.

From the corner of my eye I notice Gale is looking at me with a concerned look on his handsome face. I ignore him as I aggressively cut up my lamb stew.

I stubbornly refuse to participate in any of the small talk going on around me, offering non commitive grunts whenever someone attempts to include me in the conversation.

No one questions my behavior. They probably think its 'that time of the month' for me. If only they knew.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes at the small talk going on around me. It's quite obvious there's something my mother and Prim know, and they're trying their hardest to procrastinate bringing it up as long as possible. However, we're all almost finished eating so it probably won't be long untill my mother starts breaking whatever the news is.

And I'm right.

"I got a call from the Capitol today." my mother begins, feigning nonchalance.

"What'd they say?" I say impatiently. I shouldn't be worried, I'd been expecting a call from the Capitol after all. I'd known they weren't going to put off preparing me for the Victory for much longer. However the not so slight possibility that President Snow found out about my little escapade with Gale worried me.

I send my mother a pointed look, urging her to continue.

"Apparently President Snow wishes to speak to you. His assistant informed me that he will be visiting tomorrow at 12:32 and made me promise that you would be there to receive him." she says quietly.

Panic floods my system. What if the Capitol has cameras in the house. What if they overheard my conversation with Madge? Or worse, saw what happened between me and Gale.

He will execute me, no doubt. I close my eyes. This is it then. Tomorrow, at 12:32 precisely, I die.

Gale speaks up, preventing my brain from freaking out over the fact that I officially have less than 24 hours to live:"Do you know what it's about?"

"Maybe he wants to talk about the Victory Tour?" Prim offers.

Gale snorts:"As if he'd waste his time on making a call as standard as that one, he'd just have one of his Capitol lapdogs make the call." he spits out bitterly.

"I don't know what it's about." I say, trying to keep my emotions under control. Without excusing myself I stand up and rush to my room.

I desperately need the peace and quiet of my bathroom.

As I enter my bedroom I hear Gale's - who apparently followed me upstairs - voice:"Catnip! Talk to me." he cries desperately.

I turn around on my heels and hesitate. However I really don't trust myself to speak to him right now. There's no doubt in my mind that a) my hormones would take over and I'd give him a stern lecture because how dare he impregnate me? or b) I would get so stressed that I'd blurt out that I fear that President Snow knows I'm pregnant.

So instead I childishly slam the door in his face and lock it.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you for the feedback wooo! also I apologize for this chapter being yet another filler, I promise the story will start picking up soon (And Peeta will finally make a appearance soon ahaha).

* * *

I sit down on my bed and cover my ears with my hands in an attempt to block out Gale's requests to get me to open the door and talk to him.

I repeatedly tell Gale that I really don't want to talk. To my frustration he doesn't budge. 10 minutes later he's still standing outside my room and I'm still pacing around my room having a mental breakdown.

I truly want to talk to Gale, I know I owe it to him. But I'm not ready to break the news that I'm pregnant with "Peeta's" child to him. Telling him the truth also isn't an option, I'm still not convinced there isn't all sorts of Capitol spyware lying around the house. And on the off chance that President Snow doesn't know everything yet, I'd hate to tip him off by having my coming clean to Gale recorded.

"Katniss I don't understand." Gale says, he sounds defeated. Guilt floods my system, I may not be able to give him the talk that he needs, but he deserves more than a silent treatment from behind a closed door.

I start walking towards the door just as he hesitantly chokes out: "is this about me and Madge?"

I abruptly close the distance between me and the door and unlock it. As soon as I've opened the door a guilty looking Gale walks through and quietly closes the door behind him. He starts pacing around the room whilst ruffling up his hair nervously.

I don't say anything, I'm too emotionally drained to come up with an appropriate response.

"Well?" He inquires urgently, momentarily pausing his nervous pacing "is it?"

"I don't know." I answer honestly, because I don't. I don't even know if I'm mad at him in the first place. All I know is that I got pregnant and that I by doing so made things (which weren't all that dandy to begin with) even worse.

"What do you mean you don't know Katniss?" Gale asks, he clearly wants answers. I don't blame him. After all, we've been so close for so long and now we've ignored each other for the past month. But I don't have the answers he wants, I need to process all the bombs that have been dropped on me today. And I seriously need some pills against these darn pregnancy symptoms.

"Gale you know I care about you" I begin "I've missed you. I know we're not in a good place right now and I get that you want to talk about this. But with the President Snow probably already on his way to District 12 and the Victory Tour only being a small number of days from now I just can't afford to have this conversation right now."

Gale stares at me, various emotions crossing his face; there's disappointment, hope, confusion, anger and finally determination.

Finally he runs a hand through his hair, sighs and says, sounding defeated:"I understand, I just wanted to clear the air between us before you go on the Victory Tour."

I sigh in relief and quickly rush over to him in order to throw my arms around his neck. I know there's still a lot to be resolved, like the little issue of our love child, but he won't press the matter right now which means the threat of word vomit is temporarily resolved.

He doesn't hesitate to hug me tightly. I feel his warm breath in my neck. "I missed you, Catnip." he whispers softly in my ear. "I missed you too Gale." I answer.

"You should get some sleep, we don't want you looking anything but perfect for your meeting with President Snow tomorrow!" he says sarcastically, releasing me from his embrace.

I smile weakly and nod.

Only minutes after he's left I'm in bed fast asleep.

* * *

I'm awoken by an intense urge to throw up.

20 minutes minutes spent throwing up and 10 minutes spent convincing myself that I really need to wear the soft, baby blue dress for my meeting with President Snow later, I find myself getting force fed my breakfast by Prim.

"Okay that's it, what's wrong?" Prim says, putting down the fork she was force feeding me with.

I'm still not used to how much she's grown up while I was in the Arena.

"I'm just feeling a bit nauseous, but I'll be fine." I tell her. Technically it's not a lie, the morning sickness will go away eventually. Eventually being in 8 months.

Prim quirks an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. I admit its not like me to turn down a breakfast as marvelous as the one currently in front of me. "Are you worried about your talk with Snow?" she offers.

"I'm not looking forward to it, no." I answer as I (with difficulty) swallow a bite of toast. 'not looking forward' to it is a bit of an understatement, I'm absolutely dreading the meeting.

I glance at the clock; it's a quarter to 12, leaving me another 45 minutes of freedom.

Considering how firmly I believe President Snow is here to personally execute me you'd expect me to spend what were possibly my last 45 minutes on this planet doing something meaningful. But here I am, it's 12:29, leaving me exactly 2 minutes to live, and I'm furiously polishing my hunting boots. They look as if I bought them yesterday and they've looked that way for the past 30 minutes. But I was looking for a way to distract myself from the upcoming meeting with President Snow and shoe-polishing had presented itself as the perfect candidate.

I almost drop my boot when I hear the door bell ring. I glance at the clock and it's 12;32 precisely, figures. I take a deep breath and walk towards the front door where I find my mother and Prim are already waiting.

They both look anxious. Before I can really think about it I stalk over to the door and open it, I really just want to get this over with as quickly as humanly possible. Upon seeing President Snow in the flesh I freeze.

I'd seen him before plenty of times, but he'd never been this real. Obviously I'd seen him on TV before, and during my short stay in the Capitol I'd seen him a small number of times. But knowing that the man who held the power to change this entire nation and who was behind everything that was wrong with it was surreal. Add to that the fact that I know I crossed him and that he traveled what is not a short distance just so he could "talk" to me and you'll understand just how worried I was.

"Good Afternoon Mrs. Everdeen." President Snow says smoothly, abruptly stopping my train of thoughts.

He takes off his coat and hands it to my mother as if she's his butler. Then he nods his head in the direction of the door "your office is that way, I assume?" I nod numbly.

Without waiting for an invite he pushes open the glass door separating the hallway from the office and walks through. Then, also without invitation he walks over to the desk in the corner of the room and takes place in the big leather chair that's waiting behind the desk.

I follow him even though he technically hasn't asked me to. He quirks an eyebrow and says "Well take a seat Ms. Everdeen."

I'm quick to obey and take a seat, if it were possible to put your body on automatic pilot this is what it would feel like.

"Now-" President Snow begins, throwing me a fake sugary sweet smile "I'm sure you are a very busy person, as am I. So let's agree not to waste each others time shall we?"

I nod although I'm not sure what he means by not wasting his time.

"Lovely." He says, then he shifts and continues:"Now, there's a number of things that are cause for" he pauses "concern" he says carefully.

I feign surprise. "Oh, what things?" I inquire.

It's concerning how quickly President Snow can go from 'I'm your granddad' to 'I kidnapped your granddad and ate him in a cannibalistic whim'. He clicks his tongue in annoyance.

"Now, now Mrs. Everdeen, I thought we made a deal? We agreed not to waste each others time and that includes no lying." He says sharply, emphasizing the last two words.

"Let me give you a hint, my causes of concern have resulted in Seneca Cranes untimely retirement." he says.

I'd known that I was presenting the Game Makers with a bit of a dilemma when I'd pulled out those berried. When made to choose between having no Victors or having two of them I'd assumed they'd choose the latter. And I had fortunately been right.

"Is this about the berries?" I inquire, at the back of my mind already knowing that I'm right.

He smiles at me, back in pleasant-granddad mode and adds:"The people in the Capitol are quite convinced of your undying love." - he says the last word mockingly "Unfortunately, not everyone in the districts fell for your act," he finishes.

My face must register at least a flicker of bewilderment, because he addresses it.

"This, of course, you don't know. You have no access to information about the mood in other districts. In several of them, however, people viewed your little trick with the berries as an act of defiance, not an act of love. And if a girl from District Twelve of all places can defy the Capitol and walk away unharmed, what is to stop them from doing the same?" he says.

"What is to prevent, say, an uprising?"

It takes a moment for his last sentence to sink in. Then the full weight of it hits me. "There have been

uprisings?" I ask shocked.

"Not yet. But they'll follow if the course of things doesn't change. And uprisings have been known to lead to revolution." President Snow rubs a spot over his left eyebrow, the very spot where I myself get

headaches.

"Do you have any idea what that would mean? How many people would die? What conditions those left would have to face? Whatever problems anyone may have with the Capitol, believe me when I say that if it released its grip on the districts for even a short time, the entire system would collapse."

I don't know how I dare to say the next words, but I do. "It must be very fragile, if a handful of berries can bring it down."

There's a long pause while he examines me. Then he simply says, "It is fragile, but not in the way that you suppose."

There's a knock at the door, and the Capitol man sticks his head in. "Her mother wants to know if you want tea."

"I would. I would like tea," says the president. The door opens wider, and there stands my mother, holding a tray with a china tea set she brought to the Seam when she married. "Set it here, please." he says patting an empty spot on the desk.

"You know, it's funny how often people forget that presidents need to eat, too," President Snow says charmingly. Well, it seems to relax my mother a bit, anyway.

"Can I get you anything else? I can cook something more substantial if you're hungry," she offers softly.

"No, this could not be more perfect. Thank you," he says, clearly dismissing her. My mother nods, shoots me a glance, and goes. President Snow pours tea for both of us and fills his with cream and sugar, then takes a long time stirring. I sense he has had his say and is waiting for me to respond.

"I didn't mean to start any uprisings," I blurt out

"I believe you. It doesn't matter. The threat is there and needs to be eliminated."

I'm not surprised, I'd suspected the reason for his visit was to discuss which execution date would suit me best.

"-In the right way." he finally adds after what was a ridiculously long pause.

"In the right way?" I ask confusedly, what? does he want me to pick between getting hanged or burned at the stake?

"We can't publicly execute you, or privately for that matter. The people in the districts wont buy it." he says.

"What do you want me to do?" I ask. The fact that I can't be executed doesn't calm me down as much as I should, because although I'm safe my loved ones are not.

"That's what I came here for, to congratulate you!" President Snow says happily "You did exactly what I needed you to, and you did it quite perfectly if I say so myself"

Noticing my blank look he smiles pleasantly and adds:"Well I suppose I can't give you all the credit, after all your dear cousin did some of the work too."

"You understand, naturally, that we'll have to give your beloved Peeta some - make that all of the credit too, don't you?"

He knows. I feel the panic rising up inside of me but refuse to give into it until I am absolutely positive that we're both talking about the same thing here - my pregnancy.

I nod, mentally unable to give him a more adequate response than that.

Unperturbed he asks:"Speaking of Peeta, how is he?"

"He's good." I choke out.

The President narrows his eyes at me:"You understand that at the Victory Tour you'll need to convince everyone of your little act, correct?" he says sharply.

I nod and at his pointed look add:"Yes I will, I'll convince everyone I'm still in love with Peeta."

"Wonderful, I'm happy we got that sorted out."

He promptly rises and after dabbing his lips with a napkin heads for the door. I'm too shocked to watch him leave so I flinch when he puts an envelope on the table in front of me and says:"I took the liberty of arranging your first appointment."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Peeta is finally here wooo. And, once again, thank you all for the lovely reviews, they make the world go round haha.

_I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters_

* * *

Upon seeing that President Snow placed the envelope on the table there were only two ways I could have reacted in.

A) I'd break the thick Capitol seal the minute I'd hear the front door close, signalling President Snows departure or B) I'd put off opening the envelope for as long as possible.

I choose the latter. Which is why I now find myself sitting in a way too big leather chair being mocked by an envelope. What if it contains a threat to my family? I don't know whether I'd be able to handle that.

After about 15 minutes of intense internal debate I hear the door swing open. I don't need to look up to know it's Haymitch. The smell of alcohol and the unstable footsteps are a dead giveaway.

"Well good afternoon, sweetheart!" He says toothily, plopping down in the same chair President Snow occupied only minutes ago.

I shoot him a glare, not in the mood for his drunken antics at all. "Who ruffled your feathers?" he says drawing up an offended hand to his chest. "Oh!" he exclaims as he sees the envelope.

He snatches it from the table before I have the chance to hide it. "What do we have here?" He says feigning surprise "A letter from the Capitol?" he remarks as he eyes the thick, red Capitol seal.

"Yes." I snap "And it's none of your business." I lean over the table and attempt to reclaim my letter. I don't succeed because unfortunately Haymitch is about two heads taller than me and his arms are by default longer than mine.

"Well are you going to open it?" He inquires. "Yes, just not with you in the room." I say curtly, not happy with the situation at all.

"Then why haven't you opened it yet sweetheart?" He asks mockingly, clearly not acknowledging the part where I said that I didn't want to open it with him there.

"Let's have a look." he says as he rips the seal.

"Haymitch" I growl dangerously "Give it back."

He smirks and mockingly dangles the now opened envelope in front of my face. He whips out the letter with surprising grace. He pulls a formal face and coughs:"Dear Ms. Everdeen." he begins.

I rise up from my chair and march around the table. I'm ready to snatch the letter from Haymitch' hand when I notice his flabbergasted expression.

"Sit." he commands.

Realizing the ship has sailed and he knows whatever is in the letter I obediently sit back down in my chair.

"What is this?" Haymitch barks waving the letter around.

"If you'd hand it to me I'd be able to read and explain it." I snap.

Haymitch is not in a mood to appreciate my sarcasm. I'm surprised at how sober he suddenly looks. "All right." he says icily "Would you be so kind to explain to me why you need to visit a Doctor 'to discuss the details of your pregnancy and check up on the baby'?"

I'm stunned. My head is spinning. He knows. President Snow knows. I'm replaying the conversation in my head and wondering how in the world I managed to not pick up on the many hints he dropped. Then something else hits me "You understand, naturally, that we'll have to give your beloved Peeta some - make that all of the credit too, don't you?" President Snow had said.

I have to tell Peeta he is the father, and I need to do it soon.

"I'm waiting." says Haymitch.

I don't know what to say. I've had too much information bombs dropped on me for my pregnant mind to process. I desperately try to sort out the mess that is my brain but all I manage to choke out is:"What?"

Abandoning whatever his previous question was understanding dawns over Haymitch and he states:"It's Gales, isnt it?"

I see no point in denying it, I'm a bad liar (I still do not support this statement) and I know for a fact that Haymitch wont believe that I slept with Peeta for a second.

"Is it?" Haymitch says, waiting for my confirmation.

"Yes." I choke out. I'm paralyzed. Adrenaline is pumping through my system yet there's nothing I can do. The situation has gotten out of hand and the end isn't nearly in sight yet.

"All right." Haymitch says, surprisingly calm and sober. Then he looks me dead in the eye and grabs my hand over the table. He gives it a gentle squeeze and says:"Look Katniss, I managed to get both you and Peeta out of the Arena alive, how hard can it be to add a baby to the mix?"

I nod numbly. I try to wrap my head around the situation and see it from a logical perspective. The worst case scenario is that myself, Peeta, Gale, Prim, my mother and the families of all those mentioned above all get executed by the Capitol. All right, so the worst case scenario was pretty bad and the odds of that scenario becoming reality were alarmingly high but there was also a chance that I'd be able to get out of this mess in relatively good shape.

"So let me get this straight." Haymitch says gesturing wildly with his hands "You slept with Gale, you got pregnant, but you have to pretend the baby is not his."

"That about sums it up, yes." I say, I'm not sure how Haymitch made it sound so simple but he did.

"Well you're already pretending to be head over heels in love with each other so having a fake baby will only add to your legitimacy I suppose." Haymitch says. Well that explains how he made it sound easy, he actually thought it was easy.

"What do I have to do Haymitch?" Yes, he was drunk, so he probably was not the best person to turn to for advice. But at this point he was the only one who was aware of my less than fortunate predicament and I could use any words of wisdom I could get.

Haymitch's expression gets solemn and he catches my eye again:"If you want to get out of this situation alive, which I assume you do." he looks at me and quirks an eyebrow, at my nod he continues "You need to snap out of whatever bubble you're currently living in. This doesn't end after the Victory Tour, or after you mentor for the first, second or third time. This little lovebird act is for life. Are you prepared to do that?"

The truth is that I'm not. I don't want to spent the rest of my life pretending to be in love with someone I'm not. And I also really don't want to raise my child lying about his or her heritage. Knowing that I have no other options makes me feel powerless and I hesitantly tell Haymitch that I'm prepared to bear the consequences, whatever they may be.

"It is absolutely vital that you are so in love on this Tour that even I believe that it's true, do you understand that?" Haymitch urges.

"How am I supposed to do that? I'm not in love with Peeta and if people don't even believe that I'm in love with him when I attempt to commit suicide with him then I don't know what will convince them." I say honestly.

"You're having a baby, that's proof of undying love if I've ever seen it." states Haymitch confidently.

Then he abruptly stands up:"Well I am going to get some rest or down whatever alcohol I have left at my house. I have to get a little beauty sleep in before I face those darn Capitol puppets tomorrow." he concludes.

I watch him leave and as he's about to pass through the door he looks back at me and the corners of his lips turn slightly upwards:"Don't you worry about anything for now Sweetheart, Uncle Haymitch has everything under control."

* * *

"Oh my, Katniss what have you _done_?"

"How you managed to get your hair to go from perfectly healthy to, well, the state it's in now is absolutely beyond me."

"Katniss look at you! Are there even any life skin cells left on your face?"

I groan as one outraged cry after the other is thrown my way. I have a killer headache and although I should have known that my morning sickness was going to be a regular occurrence for the next 8 months it still put me in a bad mood when I woke up to the urge to throw up. Again.

After plucking another hair from my 'pair of abominable snowmen' as my stylists have so considerately named my eyebrows they gather around me in a circle to judge their work. They don't look all that satisfied honestly, which angers me a little bit because I just went through 3 hours of torture and they're still not happy with my appearance.

After having a completely silent conversation through hand gestures and distasteful looks they apparently come to the conclusion that I look semi-presentable.

"We'll go see if Cinna is almost done waking Haymitch up." one of them states.

I feel relief wash over me as Cinna finally appears a little while later. I instantly jump up and don't hesitate to run towards him and hug him tightly. He chuckles and returns the hug:"How have you been Girl on Fire?" he says smiling.

"I've been managing." I say half-halfheartedly. If only he knew just precisely how well I've been managing. Managing to keep a fetus alive in my stomach that is.

"Good." he says gently.

"What about you? How's life in the Capitol?" I ask.

He smiles and informs me about how apparently he's a raging star now and that everyone ("literally everyone") is wearing his clothes now. I'm happy to hear that. Although I'm still not a big fan of the big, fancy Capitol style I know that Cinna puts his emotion in his work and it shines through.

"Congratulations" I tell him.

"Thank you Katniss." Cinna says sincerely. Then he walks over to the pile of stuff my prep team dragged in with them. After carefully picking up a number of clothing pieces he lays them out in front of me. I notice there's an alarming amount of pink in the pile of clothes.

At seeing my confused expression Cinna chuckles and elaborates:"Haymitch informed me that, I quote, since she won't be able to do it herself I need you to make her look at least semi-sweet and innocent."

"Well I can't say he doesn't have a point." I admit.

15 Minutes later I'm wearing the disgustingly bright pink top and am waiting for Cinna to finish braiding my hair:"So what exactly is going to happen today?" I ask, because I honestly don't know. I've been so preoccupied with my pregnancy that I haven't had the time to worry about my TV appearance. Besides, I usually didn't have to worry about the planning, that's what Effie was there for.

"And where's Effie?" I add, realizing that the Capitol Escort isn't present.

"It's nothing to worry about, they just want a quick shot of you and Peeta to get the people excited for the Victory Tour. As for Effie, she should be here as soon as she's done with Haymitch."

I swallow nervously, I had barely talked to Peeta since the Games. Any conversations we'd had had been uncomfortable and about futile things such as 'we ran out of butter'. It was of utmost importance that our appearance today was believable though so I could only pray that Peeta's performance was as pure as it had been in the Arena.

"I thought waking Haymitch up was your task." I say grinning, the mental image of Effie's reaction to Haymitch' house and Haymitch' reacion to being woken up by Effie made me perk up a bit.

"It was." Cinna says sheepishly "And I tried. Effie quickly offered to take the task upon her when she found out we were 2 minutes behind on schedule and I should technically be attending to your hair. Speaking of your hair, you're good to go."

I stand up to take a glance at the mirror and am not surprised to find I don't look like myself at all. I look innocent, sweet and hopeful, which couldn't be further from what I'm feeling right now.

"You did a great job Cinna, as usual." I say.

Cinna offers me a grateful smile in return and offers me his arm:"Are you ready, Girl on Fire?"

I take his arm and nod nervously. I take a deep breath. Cinna offers me another reassuring smile and starts walking towards the front door. I let him guide me because I honestly don't think I have the energy to walk on my own.

As we enter the hallway we're met by a stressed looking Effie:"Ah Katniss darling, there you are!" She says clapping in her hands excitedly and quickly taking me from Cinna's arm and putting her own on the small of my back.

"Now remember the entire country-" she begins preparing me for what is apparently going to be a 30 second appearance because they don't want to give away too much before the Victory Tour. Effie keeps rambling on about where the Cameras are going to be and where I'll have to look but I'm not picking up any of it.

The thought that I'll be face to face with Peeta in about 10 minutes is just starting to dawn on me and once again panic floods my system. I am not ready to face Peeta yet. I vow to simply get through the short meeting and then go back to ignoring each other.

"-which will be at the end." Effie finishes and turns to look at me.

"Ok I think I got it." I lie, not even bothering to make an attempt to make the lie sound believable. I'm fairly positive Effie will buy into it either way.

"Excellent!" squeals Effie. Then she glances at the clock and purses her lips. "We should get the signal shortly!" she says excitedly.

I swallow and stare at the door. Waiting for the signal - whatever said signal may be and mentally prepare myself for my meeting with Peeta. The way his disappointed eyes had gazed at me as I had told him I'd only been pretending is still burnt in my mind. The list of reasons for him to despise me was endless.

I feel nauseous as I think about how the bakers son must feel about me and when I hear Effie's nervous:"In Ten!" I'm ready to throw up.

I try to keep my breathing and my stomach in check. The sick feeling rises as Effies countdown gets closer to zero. At "Five!" I can practically taste the vomit in my mouth. At "Two!" I take a deep breath, only to be completely frozen in place at "One!".

A Capitol servant who I hadn't noticed before now gracefully opens the door for me. I shakily take a step forward. The small square in the Victors Village has been transformed and instead of being a gloomy abandoned town it now looks like a modern TV Studio.

I look around confusedly. I can almost hear Effie's:"I told her where the Cameras were, why doesn't anyone _ever_ listen to me?"

"And there she is, the Girl on Fire!" I hear a booming voice all around me. I'm quick to spot the numerous small TV screens that have been hung up so that even the people who were witnessing the actual thing wouldn't have to miss a second of the Capitol broadcast.

The reminder that all of this is being shown live all over Panem snaps me out of my stupor. I offer an innocent smile at the Camera that is forcefully being pushed in my face and hear Effie sign in relief behind me.

"And there we have him, Peeta Mellark!" the voice announces brightly. The door to Peeta's house - which is conveniently located right across from mine opens and Peeta Mellark walks through, a charming smile plastered on his face.

As his eyes find me they light up and he starts running over to me. I hesitantly smile back, still unsure about whether or not the happiness on his face is legit or not.

As we're only about 5 meters apart I rush forward and aim to wrap him in a tight embrace to convince all of Panem of our love. We collide but not in the way I'd wanted to. Instead of uniting in a loving embrace I slip, unprepared for the slippery ice. As I fall down I take Peeta down with me.

Unfortunately during our downfall Peeta's elbow nudges my stomach, upsetting it even more. The thought of what Effie would do if I threw up on national television slightly scares me so I try to choke down the vomit with all my power.

I look up into Peeta's face, his brows are furrowed and worry is written all over his face. He quickly scrambles up and generously pulls me up with him. With an arm still around me he chuckles and, after pressing a kiss on my forehead, turns to the Camera and sheepishly says:"I'm sorry about that!"

"It's all right!" The voice, who I have now identified as Caesar Flickermans says, quickly followed by his signature laugh "Now I'm sure you're all very happy to see everyone's favorite couple" says Caesar, addressing the audience. "And you will be happy to hear they have a surprise for you, and a good surprise at that! Isn't that right Katniss?"

I search for the Cameras and try to not let my confusion show. I offer a fake laugh and confirm Caesars statement.

"We'll leave the two of you alone for now, but we cant wait to see more of you on their Victory Tour, isn't that right folks?" Caesar says excitedly. His statement is follow by a roar which I assume comes from his live audience. Before the noise dies now we're cut off, well, I assume we are because the Camera Men instantly start packing up their gear. I'm relieved that I managed to not throw up for all of Panem to see and am temporarily saved from Effie's wrath. I don't have time to rejoice though because the sea of vomit rising up inside of me is demanding my full attention.

I know I really should have picked a better place and time to do it but I'd been holding on for it for way too long and holding it in for another second seemed like an impossible task.

Which is why I not so gracefully throw up, all over Peeta's shiny boots.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Im so excited! after this chapter the story will start picking up, promise (:_

* * *

5 Minutes later I find myself sitting at the kitchen table. I don't think I've ever had so many people fawn over me simultaneously.

There's at least 10 different pills laid out on the table and a furious discussion about which pills would be best to cure my disease is taking place around me. Honestly all I did was throw up, the fact that everyone is treating me like I am suffering from some sort of fatal disease is rubbing me the wrong way.

"I think we should just let the Doctor decide what's best for her." Haymitch yells as he storms into the room

"Do you happen to see a Doctor here Haymitch?" Effie retorts, clearly unfazed by Haymitch's outburst.

"No." Haymitch says curtly "She has an appointment with the Doctor and I'll be escorting her to said appointment."

He forcefully grabs my arm and drags me out of the room. I heave a sigh of relief, happy to finally be rescued from the room full of people who had basically been planning my funeral. Once we enter the hallway Haymitch lets go of my arm and grabs my jacket and boots.

He looks on impatiently as I attempt to put both on as quickly as possible. As soon as I've put on my last shoe Haymitch opens the door and motions for me to walk through.

I quickly obey, not wanting to be a victim of the Victors wrath. However just as Haymitch is about to slam the door shut behind him an all too familiar voice stops him:"I'm coming with you."

I turn around to see Peeta's determined face. Haymitch sighs and turns to face Peeta:"I think she'll manage with just me to hold her hand." he says harshly.

"I don't care." Peeta says, not faltering for a minute "I'm the one who jabbed her in the stomach and made her throw up and I'll be the one to fix whatever I messed up." He says guiltily.

I groan, I can't believe he's feeling guilty. If anyone should be feeling guilty it should be me for throwing a child that isn't even his at him.

Haymitch opens his mouth to protest but instead I blurt out:"Its fine, you can come."

Relief washes over Peeta's face and guilt washes over me again. Haymitch quirks an eyebrow at me but then shrugs and mumbles:"Have it your way.

It's not a long walk to the Doctor. It probably only lasts about 5 minutes. That doesn't mean it doesn't feel like an eternity though. I carefully position myself so that Haymitch is walking between me and Peeta the entire time.

No one speaks the entire walk. Haymitch is staring forward with a clenched jaw, looking like he has a lot of things he really wants to say but can't right now, Peeta keeps sending my guilty sideway glances and I simply walk looking straight ahead.

I'm nervous. I'm able to momentarily forget all about the Capitol and the Games, for right now it's all about my baby. I never thought I'd have maternal instincts and I'm not about to start buying baby crib catalogues but a sudden sense of warmth and responsibility does overtake me.

Far too soon I see the big building in the distance. There are only 3 hospitals in District 13. One of them is near the mines and hardly classifies as a hospital. According to Gale everything from a scratch to a broken leg was fixed by the philosophy of 'just put a band-aid on it'. The second hospital is located near the city square. I've personally never been there before but from what I've heard its fairly decent. Then there was the third Hospital which was currently emerging in the distance.

The only person who I know has ever been cured in the hospital was Madge. Apparently the hospital fees are so high that only the ridiculously small upper class and peacekeepers were able to go there.

The building looks out of place, it's located in a grass field that's surrounded by trees, cutting it off from the rest of the gloomy looking District 12. I didn't know buildings could be shiny but if I had to describe the hospital shiny would be the word I'd use.

However in comparison to the numerous extravagant Capitol buildings I've seen during my short stay there this building would barely pass as 'adequate'. And as such fails to impress me.

As we approach the entrance of the building the doors open for us and we're barely inside when we're met by a stern looking woman.

"Katniss Everdeen?" She asks sounding annoyed.

"Yes the one and only." Haymitch drawls sarcastically. The woman is clearly not amused and takes a pointed look at the clock.

"You're late." She snaps, then she turns to Haymitch and Peeta and quirks an eyebrow:"And does the father want to be there or will you be waiting outside?"

Peeta glances at Haymitch, waiting for Haymitch to confirm that he is, in fact, not my father. As Haymitch remains silent Peeta's eyes widen. I can basically see him weighing the possibility of Haymitch actually being my father and decide to save him from his misery.

"No, I'm going alone." I answer. The woman nods curtly and after swiftly telling Peeta and Haymitch where to sit signals for me to follow her.

"The Doctor is ready for you." She says curtly, I don't miss the implied 'because you're late.'

I walk into what I assume must be the Doctors office and am almost blinded by just how white the room is. The office is almost empty except for a surprisingly comfortable looking chair and a desk with a woman behind it.

Upon hearing me enter the woman (who I assume must be my Doctor) looks up. I let out a sigh of relief when I see her face. I know looks can be deceiving but at least this woman doesn't look like she'd love to slit my throat. She smiles at me encouragingly, grey eyes twinkling. She's wearing a suit that's almost as blindingly bright as the room.

"Sit down dear." She motions at the big chair in the middle of the room. I quietly obey. As I position myself in the chair the woman picks up a piece of paper from her desk and closes the folder she'd apparently been reading through and gets up to walk over to me.

She holds out her hand and introduces herself as Dr. Tailer. After that she carefully scans the piece of paper again and then looks at me:"According to this you are 6 weeks pregnant, is that correct?"

At my confirmation she continues:"The first Ultrasound usually isn't done until week 12 but I was told it is of utmost importance this pregnancy goes smoothly which is why I'll be doing one today to see how the baby is doing."

I'm happy President Snow thinks it's important this pregnancy moves along smoothly, at least I have that going for me.

20 minutes later my head is spinning. The woman has told me things that I would never have dreamed off associating with pregnancy ("You should probably start stretching your legs because in 4 months there's no way you'll be able to properly do your nails otherwise").

But although I've had a lot of 'fun' pregnancy facts dropped on me I feel calm. Calmer than I have felt in a while as a matter of fact. Dr. Tailer has assured me that my baby looks perfectly healthy and that's something I hadn't really known I was worried about until today.

"Do you have any questions for me?" asks Dr. Tailer.

"I do!" I blurt out "Would you consider impulsiveness a side-effect of pregnancy?"

Dr. Tailer's lips turn upward in a small smile "I won't confirm nor deny that it's a side-effect, I suppose it could be a natural effect of the mood swings, though." she answers solemnly.

I quickly thank her and rush out of the room to where Haymitch and Peeta are waiting for me. As soon as he sees me emerge Peeta shoots up from his chair and starts bombarding me with questions.

"Are you all right? What did they say? I didn't do any serious damage did I, God I'd feel so guilty if I did?" he rambles.

From the corner of my eye I notice Haymitch's pointed look and with a grimace on his face he mouths:"Tell him."

I want to, but as I see Peeta's gentle face, worry and love written all over it I just can't bring myself to tell him I'm pregnant. I'm not ready to see his reaction. I'm scared I'll see disappointment or betrayal in his eyes.

As he realizes how impatient he's been Peeta flushes and looks down apologetically.

"I'm sorry." he mumbles "I understand if you don't want to tell me. I just want to make sure you're OK."

I send him a smile and look him in the eye. "I'm OK, thank you." I say softly. Relief floods his face and he smiles a smile at me that's so genuine that it hurts me thinking about how after he finds out he'll probably never smile at me like that again.

The walk back home is probably even quieter than the walk on the way there. Once more Haymitch is sandwiched between Peeta and myself. Haymitch doesn't look very happy either, his lips are pressed closed in a tight line. He's walking quickly in long strides.

I notice Peeta is trying to get closer to me by maneuvering his way around Haymitch. I'm grateful to Haymitch for consciously or subconsciously acting as a buffer.

I'm not much help either, I simply walk ahead staring the in distance. I know I should stop avoiding vital conversations because unfortunately they've been piling up lately. Maybe I should start a waiting list that people can sign up on if they want to "talk".

As we reach my house Peeta smiles at me warmly "You should get some sleep." he says, concern lacing his voice. I forcefully return the smile and murmur a quick 'thank you'.

As soon as Peeta closes the door to his house behind him Haymitch turns to me dangerously and hisses:"Do not think I'm done with you yet, Sweetheart."

He opens the front door and storms inside. I hesitantly follow him, I do not want to fuel his little fire of anger. After coming to the conclusion that my prep team has left he curtly greets my Mother and Prim who are in the kitchen cooking. Then he storms upstairs without bothering to check if I'm following him. He enters my bedroom. After doing a quick scan of the room he plops down on my bed with an annoyed expression on his face:"Do you not have any liquor up here?" he complains.

I shake my head and sit down on the chair in front of my desk, I'd sit down next to him but considering the state he's in I come to the conclusion that it'd be safest to keep the distance between us as large as possible.

"Now listen closely" begins Haymitch "I don't know if you were too busy rolling 'round in the snow with Peeta to hear but you'll be making an announcement at the end of the Victory Tour."

I did pick that up although I have to admit that I'd been so high up on my little baby cloud that I'd forgotten all about it.

"And do you have any idea what the announcement could be?" Haymitch asks slowly.

I do have some ideas but I'm so firmly in denial that I refuse to acknowledge them. Instead I convince myself that it'll probably just be a Capitol news reading of sorts, maybe they want me to present the weather? I'll be able to nip that in the but.

"I don't know, won't they tell me beforehand though?" I inquire.

Haymitch sighs and does another alcohol-scan of my room. I'm honestly starting to believe the man has the ability to sense alcohol. Just imagine how many illegal alcohol possessors he'd be able to arrest if he set his mind to it.

"I suppose." Haymitch admits "That doesn't mean that you won't need to prepare yourself and Peeta for it, though. I'm fairly sure he'd rather hear the news from you than from some Capitol messenger."

"Hear what?" I ask. I'm dreading the answer because really, there's no doubt left in my mind that I'll be announcing my pregnancy to all of Panem at the grand conclusion of our Victory Tour.

Haymitch is not amused:"That you're pregnant" he says slowly, as if he's explaining it to a 5 year old. I feel like he's about to tell me about the birds and the bees which, looking at my current situation, may actually be a talk I need to have.

"Dammit Katniss, I need you to wrap your mind around this situation and to be sharp. I'm trying to help you here!" Haymitch says.

And he's right. I've just been letting myself be dragged along in the crazy Capitol roller coaster. I suppose the fact that I'm pregnant and as such insanely tired is an excuse. But I don't want to be surprised anymore and I want to know what's going on. All this worrying can't possibly be good for the baby.

I sit up straight and ask him semi-confidently:"What do you need me to do?"

Haymitch grins and holds up his finger in the air:"Now that's the spirit! Now, I don't want to cause an overload in your brain because you don't appear to be handling those well lately. I'll only drop stage 1 on you for now. You need to tell Peeta."

I sigh, I shouldn't be surprised. For some reason I was waiting for some sort of eye-opening advice that would solve all of my problems in a heart beat. But, Alas, it appeared as though I'd be making the 'if you want to have a serious talk with Katniss Everdeen' list after all.

"All right, I'll tell him." I'm determined to tell him. I desperately try to convince myself that I can do this and that I won't let those darn puppy eyes stop me from saying what I need to say again.

"Good, I'm going to the living room to see what your family has prepared for dinner." says Haymitch, promptly inviting himself for dinner. Lucky me, I was feeling too nauseous to eat and with my Doctors visit I may just be even luckier in that my family would let me return to my hermit ways for the rest of today.

No such luck.

Barely 3 minutes later the door opens slowly and an ugly, orange monster walks through. Said monster being my sisters beloved Buttercup.

The cat looks at me and mewls. I sigh. The cat must truly be desperate if it turned to me for help. After we'd just moved into our house in the Victors Village my sister had spoiled the orange fur ball rotten. The cat had put on weight faster as I was going to the next couple of months. My mother and Prim had quickly decided to put the cat on a diet and ever since the cat had been even more unbearable than it used to be.

I look at the cat in annoyance when a full five minutes later it's still mewling unperturbedly.

Figuring I have nothing better to do I head for the door (Buttercup hisses at me as I pass) and head downstairs. I'm relieved that my mother and Prim are not in the kitchen. I figure Prim is reading in her room and my mother is probably watching TV in the living room.

I look around and scan cabinets until my eyes spot a still wrapped roll of cookies. Deciding to spoil myself and also make myself a cup of tea. After dropping in a sugarcube I head back upstairs and snort as myself as I realize I'm actually excited at the thought of having a tea party with a cat.

10 Minutes and half a pack of cookies later I'm alone again. Apparently Buttercup did not join me for my company but was there solely for the cookies. I'm not surprised.

What does surprise me is when another 30 minutes later there's a soft knock on my door. "Come in." I say.

I almost fall of my chair when none other than Peeta Mellark appears in the doorway.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N Thank you so much for all the feedback!

Some of you have been wondering whether this is a Katniss/Peeta or Katniss/Gale story. I do have the first 30k of this story written but the story hasn't come to a conclusion yet. Whether this will ultimately be a Katniss/Peeta or Katniss/Gale story is still up in the air but tell me what you'd like to see happen and I'll definetely keep that in mind :)

Because of he plot there are going to be scenes with both Gale (bc hes the father) and Peeta (bc everyone thinks hes the father) though.

* * *

Peeta walks through the doorway and softly closes the door behind him. I look at him expectantly, praying to god he's not here because Haymitch tipped him off.

Instead Peeta looks a bit sheepish and says:"I'm sorry for interrupting, I just wanted to check up on you. See how you're doing."

I smile at him, genuinely happy to see him and say:"I'm all right, what about you?"

"I'm managing." he says painfully. I nod.

"How do you do it?" I blurt out. Upon seeing his confused expression I elaborate:"How do you stay so sane throughout all of this?"

Peeta's face morphs into a thoughtful one as he sits down on my bed.

"I don't, really. I just make sure I'm always distracted, it prevents me from letting my mind wander to, you know, dark places." he offers.

I contemplate that for a moment. I suppose he has a point, for past couple of days the amount of nightmares I have has gone down. Instead of having several a night I'll only have one every three or so days, and those are not half as intense as the ones I used to have. I'm not sure whether it's because I've been so exhausted from being pregnant or because I've been so distracted (also because I'm pregnant) though.

"How do you stay distracted?" I ask curiously. Although I currently have my pregnancy to keep me occupied I wonder what Peeta does in his free time. I seriously doubt he's pregnant too (and if he is I will need to have a serious talk with the baker).

Peeta hesitates and asks:"Promise you won't laugh?"

I solemnly promise him that I won't laugh at whatever he does to keep himself distracted. Mental images of Peeta doing yoga and furiously organising all his books in alphabetical order time after time swiftly cross my mind and I grin. Peeta shoots me a stern looks that quickly wipes the smirk off my face.

"I bake." admits Peeta.

I should have guessed. I don't know why he expected me to laugh at this revelation though, it's not as if I didn't know he was a baker yet. He came up with the genius concept of frosting people to death after all.

"Anything else? Unfortunately baking is not an option for me." I ask, heaving a sigh.

Peeta has confusion written all over his face. He looks like an algebra teacher who understand algebra perfectly fine but can't seem to wrap his head around the fact that his pupil does not instantly grasp the concept.

"What do you mean 'baking is not an option'?" Peeta exclaims, he sounds wound. If I didn't know better I'd say he sounds offended, as if by insulting baking I have somehow insulted his very existence.

I quirk an eyebrow at him:"You've obviously never seen me bake." I retort.

"I haven't." Peeta admits, he doesn't budge though "Have you ever even baked before?" he asks, curiosity shining through his voice.

"Yes" I say proudly "I once attempted to make a loaf of bread." Attempted being the key word. I doubt my creation actually qualifies as bread, much less as a loaf and I doubt it would meet Peeta's undoubtedly ridiculously high standards.

"A loaf of bread?" Peeta exclaims, saying it as if it's beneath him and he himself would never take part in such common business. "You don't honestly think baking a loaf of bread is an adequate way to measure ones baking skills?" he says defensively.

I open my mouth to defend myself but I'm surprised when Peeta holds up his finger to silence me and continues:"Besides, it's not about whether the final product tastes good or not - although that is an added bonus - but it's about the process of making it."

My perfectly laid out defence speech about why baking a loaf of bread is an excellent way to measure ones baking skills suddenly becomes irrelevant.

"Well you have a point, but honestly, I doubt blowing up my kitchen is going to make me feel any better." I retort weakly.

This is the first time Peeta actually looks annoyed with me and I find it highly amusing he's so worked up about something as (I doubt he'd agree with this) futile as baking.

"I'm teaching you how to bake." Peeta states, leaving no room for arguing. Then he abruptly stands up and marches towards the door:"I'll be expecting you at my house at 8am. Goodnight Katniss." he demands.

I stare at his disappearing form in shock and groan as I realize what I just got myself into.

* * *

The following morning I grudgingly find myself knocking on Peeta's front door. It's 8am, I'd woken up feeling sick, had already thrown up 4 times and wasn't even hungry. And honestly, what's the point of baking when you're not even excited to devour your masterpiece afterwards?

I don't have to wait long for the door to open. A fresh faced Peeta Mellark appears in the doorway:"Come in!" he says, smiling brightly at me. I don't understand how he's such a darned ray of sunshine all the time.

I glance around his house and realize that I've never been inside Peeta's house for the sole purpose of visiting him.

"I already preheated the oven and did some of the other preparations." Peeta states. I heave a sigh of relief, I'd been slightly concerned about completely ruining Peeta's house (although the Capitol would probably pay for all the repairs and there's a dozen of unoccupied houses exactly like this one anyway).

Guiding me into the kitchen Peeta starts lecturing me on what we'll be doing this morning.

"and then we'll have our cheese buns!" Peeta concludes excitedly. I really don't want to tell him I didn't follow anything of what he just said so instead I smile at him and wait for his instructions.

"All right, I already made the dough. I hope you don't mind?" he asks hesitantly and glances at me sideways. I shrug and tell him I don't really care either way, maybe if he makes the dough the cheese bun will actually turn out edible.

"Now you want to take the dough-" he points at a big, silver bucket that's filled to the brink with sticky, thick substance "and pat them into balls like so." He takes out a small piece of the sticky substance and rolls it out with his fingers until it's flat. Then he moves over to another bowl and says:"Then you want to grab a piece of cheese from here and put it inside it. After that you need roll it up in a ball again. Do you understand so far?"

I nod, it sounds easy enough: grab a piece, stick cheese in it and make a ball. However instead of helping me do the work Peeta just stands there like a teacher watching his pupil train. I swallow nervously, I really don't want Peeta to see me fail at something as simple as making a ball.

I execute step one with no trouble at all. It'd be quite an accomplishment if I'd managed to mess it up though, I mean honestly, how hard could grabbing a piece of dough be? However everything starts going downhill after step 2. First of all I have some serious trouble separating the pieces cheese from each other. Fortunately for me I manage to get the deed done just before Peeta has to interfere.

After that I take the cheese, put it in the little piece of dough and start rolling it up. However as I'm doing so Peeta's face morphs into one of horror:"No, no, not like that. Katniss, wait!" he cries.

Then he comes up behind me and takes both of my hands in his own. As I become aware of his close proximity I feel an unexpected shiver go down my spine. He guides my hands to roll up the dough in what is apparently "the right and only way" to make a cheese bun.

"It needs to be able to breathe." Peeta says softly. I am now painfully aware of his chest pressed against my back. "Whatever." I mumble. I honestly don't see how what I'm doing right now is any different from what I'd been doing before Peeta decided to interfere.

"Don't whatever my cheese bun!" Peeta says, he sounds ridiculously offended again.

"All right, it's done." Peeta states a few seconds later. He lets go of my hand and gently picks up the just created ball of dough, then he carefully places it on a tray. I keep making the small balls of dough until we're all out of dough. Peeta is watching me like a hawk the entire time.

After all 16 cheesebuns are lined up neatly on the tray Peeta gets out some sprinkled cheese. He puts it on the table. "Now we'll have to gently sprinkle the cheese over the buns." he explains.

Easy enough. I put my hand in the sack with cheese and grab a handful of cheese. Then I move my hand over to the cheesebuns (careful that I don't drop anything because I don't want Peeta to berate me. Again.) and drop it on top of the buns.

I turn to Peeta, quirking an eyebrow. He doesn't look amused:"You're basically drowning them." he states.

"They're cheese buns, Peeta. They can't drown." I say sighing exasperatedly.

"How would you like it if I made you drown in cheese?" Peeta asks.

I shrug and say honestly:"I don't think I'd mind that much.

Peeta quirks an eyebrow, slowly puts his hand in the sack and then, without warning, he throws a handful of cheese at me. My eyes widen as the cheese hits my skin. I narrow my eyes at him and quickly snatch the sack from him, dig my hand in it and grab another - big - handful of cheese and chuck it at him.

"Don't think this is over yet, Girl on Fire." Peeta says, grabbing the sack of flour that I unfortunately hadn't even noticed yet and throws a handful of flour at me.

The flour falls down on me and makes me resemble an unfortunate scarecrow. The flour sticks to the cheese and covers my face. I race around the table and throw another handful of cheese in Peeta's hair, then I grab an egg from the table and chuck it in his beautifully clean blonde hair.

He turns around and I can see him start to turn to make his next move. However then his eyes focus on me and he bursts out laughing. "If there's a costume I never thought I'd ever see you in, it'd be this one."

I take the chance to take in Peeta's appearance; his hair is messy, egg is dripping from it down his cheeks and the occasional cheese strand is plastered to his face and stuck in his hair. I can't help myself and start grinning madly.

5 minutes later we've both (almost) stopped laughing.

"You should probably wash this out before Effie sees you." Peeta says chuckling.

I draw up a hand to my chest feigning offense:"You don't think she'd like this look?" I ask.

Peeta attempts to school his face into a serious one but fails miserably, bursting out laughing again before he shakes his head and says:"Nope, not a chance, I'm sorry."

I jump up to my feet and shrug:"Well I suppose I should go wash it out then!" As soon as I say it I remember that we'll be starting our Victory Tour tomorrow. I guess Peeta had been right after all. The entire time we'd been baking I hadn't had a single thought about anything on my "hings that will give me a panic attack if i think about them too much list".

Peeta also gets up and walks over to the cupboard where my jacket and boots are. He hands them to me, that gentle smile still plastered on his face and says:"I'm happy we're finally done, you know, ignoring each other." His face is so candid, I hate it. Even I, who is usually not the best at people reading am able to see without trouble that he is completely honest and is genuinely happy we're finally forming a real connection.

I smile painfully: "Me too."

I know this is the right moment. I know I should tell him about my pregnancy now before it's too late. Too late being tomorrow when we'll board the train to the Victory Tour. I look down, unable to meet his eyes.

"Peeta?" I ask hesitantly. His head shoots up, eyes eager to meet mine and he gently smiles:"Yeah?"

"There's something I need to tell you." I murmur, I know I'm not the best at breaking secrets to people. I'll either blurt it out at an utterly inappropriate moment or I'll spin around it for, way, way too long. But I'm determined to get it right this time. The secret is too big and the person I'm telling it to is too important to mess this up.

Peeta nods, I have his attention and it makes me squirm. "What is it Katniss?" he asks softly, I can hear the concern in his voice. I take a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for the disappointed eyes that will be gazing upon me any moment now.

"I'm pregnant." I blurt it out fast.

That way I won't do the thing where I spin around the secret for hours on end. However only moments after I blurt it out the door swings open and a guy who i I recognize to be Peeta's older brother appears.

"Hello little brother." he says cheerfully.

Peeta ignores him completely, his eyes are focused on me in shock. His brother follows Peeta's gaze and it takes him surprisingly long to spot me. "Hello Katniss." he greets politely. I don't miss the highly amused look on his face as he looks from me to Peeta and back and quirks an eyebrow.

You'd think that with it being a family of bakers and all they'd be used to a little flour on the face and some cheese in the hair.

I shortly acknowledge him before rushing to the door. I can feel Peeta's eyes burning holes in my back and I'm wondering whether or not the full weight of what I've just told him has hit him yet.

I stalk outside and can still hear Peeta's brothers confused "Why is there an egg in your hair Peeta?".

I storm into the living room and, don't ask me why, grab a bowl, some cereal and some milk and before long I'm sitting at kitchen table drowning my sorrows with cereal.

Now there wouldn't be all that much wrong with the situation if it weren't for the pair of eyes that were carefully watching my every move. Somewhere between me storming in and sitting down with my cereal my mother and Prim had both decided to see what going on and had wordlessly joined me at the breakfast table. They are probably waiting for me to "talk to them" and "tell them what's wrong."

"Breakfast isn't a spectators sport you know." I finally say dryly.`

Prim and my mother flush simultaneously. "I'm sorry." Prim mumbles "It's just-" she begins hesitantly, at my pointed look she sighs :"well you just stormed in to eat cereal. Why were you up at 8am when you've been sleeping until 12 these past couple of days and Katniss, please tell me why there's cheese in your hair and flour on your face?".

I curse under my breath, I'd completely forgotten about the egg and flour thing. "It's a long story." I say. It's not even that it's a long story, its just a complicated one.

Speaking of complicated situations: I'd blurted out I was pregnant to Peeta. I can feel my face whiten and suddenly my cereal doesn't seem that appetizing anymore. For the second time that week I excuse myself before finishing my meal and head to my room.

As soon as I close the door behind me my mental breakdown stars. My mind is racing. My blood is pumping and I can't think clearly. I'm pacing around the room furiously thinking about what in the world I just did and how I was going to fix it.

I suppose that technically telling Peeta had been the right thing to do. I doubt that telling him and then storming out on him had been the right way to go at it. I hadn't even gotten to the part where I told him he was going to have to basically adopt the baby. I groan and start pacing even faster.

What if he told my mother? What if he told Gale? What if his brother overheard? What if he told everyone that the baby wasn't his and President Snow kills my family?

One thing that's clear through the mess in my brain is that the ship has sailed and that's it only a matter of time until more and more people find out about my current predicament.

But I guess eventually my ever growing stomach was going to be a dead-giveaway anyway.

I know I owe it to Gale to tell him. He deserves better than hearing it from some random stranger.

I take a deep breath and with sudden clarity I march downstairs. I glance at the clock and realize that if I hurry up I'll be able to catch Gale before he reaches the mines.

"Katniss?" Prim asks sounding incredibly confused as she spots me putting on my boots "Are you going out?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to catch up to Gale really fast." I say with a small smile.

Prim nods hesitantly:"Are you sure you don't want to care of the, well whatever is in your hair first?"

I freeze. In my panic and frustration and sudden determination I'd forgotten all about the state my hair and face were in. I wasn't completely opposed to just rushing down to the mine and confessing everything to Gale, even if I had to do it looking like an improvised scarecrow. However I doubt that upon seeing my appearance Gale would be able to take me seriously. I know for a fact that if Gale were to come knocking on my door looking half as disheveled as I currently looked that I wouldn't for a second take anything he said seriously.

Especially not something as big and vital as the news I had to break to him. "You're right." I say to Prim.

After a quick shower I put on my boots and jacket and head out. It's a fairly long walk to the mines. It feels way too short though. Any minute of Gale living in his unknowing bliss is a minute well spent. And any minute of me not having to tell Gale that I'm pregnant with his child that he won't be able to raise because he's my 'cousin' is also a minute formidably spent.


End file.
